Jan. 6, 2005

Chattanooga, TN - Chattanooga dominated inside and forced The Citadel to shoot from the outside Wednesday night, pulling away for a 66-57 victory in front of 3,536 fans at McKenzie Arena.

Forwards Alphonso Pugh and Chris Brown scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, as the Mocs (8-3, 1-0) won their Southern Conference basketball opener. The Bulldogs slipped to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Though the Bulldogs were outrebounded 47-36 and forced to take 32 shots from 3-point range, they led by three early in the second half, and never trailed by more than the nine-point final margin against a Chattanooga team that defeated The Citadel by 24 points last season.

It was enough to convince Citadel coach Pat Dennis that there are good things ahead for his young team, which has only one senior and plays host to Georgia Southern at 1 p.m. Saturday.

"I think we're a much better team. Much, much better," Dennis said. "I knew it would be tough to come up here and get a win on the road, but I thought we could do it. I don't think there is anyone (in the league) who is that much better than we are. I really think we have closed the gap." The Mocs, much improved defensively under first-year coach John Shulman, employed a 2-3 zone most of the night against The Citadel.

Their sticky defense, and foul trouble for freshman forward Warren McLendon, who was limited to six points in 27 minutes, combined to put the scoring onus on guards Kevin Hammack and Donny McLendon.

They combined to make 10 of 36 shots, including 6 of 20 from 3-point range, with Hammack scoring 17 points and Donny McLendon adding 16. As a team, The Citadel shot just 29.2 percent from the field and 7 of 32 (21.9 percent) on 3-pointers.

"Way too many 3," Dennis said. "Our guards took way too many shots. We've got to find a way to get the ball inside. They played a lot of zone and we didn't do a very good job of attacking it. And Warren's getting in foul trouble, and that's hurting us."

Down by one at the half, The Citadel took a 40-37 lead early in the second half as freshman forward Demetrius Nelson hit a follow shot and Hammack scored in the lane with 15:28 left.

But the 6-5, 255-pound Warren McLendon picked up his fourth foul with 13:59 left and The Citadel up by 40-39. Pugh, a 6-6 junior, scored eight points, all from inside, during a 14-5 run that gave the Mocs a 51-45 lead with 7:47 left.

The Citadel closed to within 59-55 on a layup by Warren McLendon at 1:39. But Hammack missed a layup and Donny McLendon misfired on a 3-pointer, and Mocs guard Casey Long made five free throws in the final 1:17 to help the Mocs hang on.

Nelson, a 6-6 freshman from St. John's High School, had a career-high nine points and three rebounds in 15 minutes for The Citadel.

Sparked by 14 first-half points from Hammack, the Bulldogs led by eight midway through the first 20 minutes and trailed by just 32-31 at the break.

Donny McLendon hit a 3-pointer and two free throws for a 16-8 Citadel lead, and the Bulldogs maintained a 29-23 advantage when Hammack hit his second trey of the half. But the Mocs' Brown nailed a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run as Chattanooga took a 30-29 lead, and held on to a one-point lead at halftime.

NOTES

-- The Citadel's home game against Georgia Southern will be Law Enforcement/Firefighter's Day at McAlister Field House. All law enforcement officers and firefighters with a valid ID will be admitted free to the game.